Outdoors category, Page 19
Winter driving advice and more outdoor news
Take a quick look around the outdoors world with a tip, a new piece of gear and more: Tip of the week Enjoying a winter outdoor adventure starts with being able to get where you’re going and, just as importantly, get back home again. That can be difficult when snow...
Outdoors notices for Dec. 8, 2019
Outdoors SHOOTS ON TAP • California Hill Gun Club holds sporting clays and five-stand shoots Sundays from 9 a.m.-noon. All are open to the public. Call 724-938-3480. • Sporting clays is closed for the winter at West Penn Sportsmen’s Club, but five stand is open Thursdays from 5-8 p.m. and...
Late-season squirrel hunting tips for the winter sportsman
This is not the game you might think it is. Mention squirrels to the average hunter, and he or she probably recalls early October days afield, likely as a young hunter, spent sitting under an oak with dad’s old hand-me-down shotgun. Memories of warm sun, bright leaves and almost foolishly...
West Nile Virus not impacting turkeys like other birds
Seeking answers through science is often a process of eliminating variables. Consider this one checked off. Unlike with ruffed grouse and many species of song birds, West Nile Virus is not hurting wild turkey populations. Some first-of-its-kind work begun in Pennsylvania recently revealed that. Biologists with the state’s Game Commission...
KOA project envisions fantastic possibilities for camping of future
It’s undoubtedly true many campers enjoy setting up near the water. But how about under it? In an aquarium-like cabin, where they’re the ones on the inside looking out? Accessible by an underwater hiking trail? That’s one possible future for camping outlined in the “KOA Campground of the Future Project.”...
A look inside our annual adventure gift guide
There’s nothing better than getting outdoors. But, as second choices go, getting to unwrap a new toy that you’ll use outside later isn’t all that bad. So, here’s a chance to treat yourself or be a hero to someone else. We take a look at some new tools sure to...
A look at ancient canoes and kayaks and more outdoor news
Take a quick look around the outdoors world with a tip, a new piece of gear and more: Tip of the week Walking quietly in the woods is a skill that can be learned. How to do it? Take smaller steps and, most importantly, move using what’s known as the...
Monday still popular with hunters, even with early start to deer rifle season
Even with the new Saturday start to deer rifle season, Monday still felt like opening day to a lot of area hunters. Old traditions die hard. Glen Stott of Latrobe went out Saturday, but he also went out Monday because he had previously asked for the day off. By 9...
Game Commission reviewing video of men kicking, mocking injured deer
The Pennsylvania Game Commission is investigating a viral Facebook video that shows two men assaulting an injured deer. Chip Brunst, Information & Education supervisor for the commission’s Northwest Region, said the commission was made aware of the video over the weekend and immediately began investigating it. “(There are) not a...
Blaze pink for hunters spreading, but oh so slowly
If this is ultimately to be a tidal wave, it’s still far from cresting. But maybe that’s how things work. Head into the woods during a big-game hunting season these days and, in more places than not, you’ll see men and women sporting orange clothing. At least 40 states require...
5 fun winter outdoor activities for children
It’s almost inevitable. Chances are this Christmas season someone — maybe even you — will give your children or grandchildren an electronic gift of some kind. And they most likely will love it. But it most likely will keep them inside. That’s OK, to a point. However, if you love...
Purple paint laws expanding across country
In fashion circles, they might explain this by saying purple is the new yellow. Or orange. Or white. Hunters, hikers, paddlers and adventurers of all sorts across the country have long known to look for posted signs before venturing onto what might be private property. Those signs are familiar, colorful...
Outdoors notices for Dec. 1, 2019
Outdoors SHOOTS ON TAP • California Hill Gun Club holds sporting clays and five-stand shoots Sundays from 9 a.m.-noon. All are open to the public. Call 724-938-3480. • Sporting clays is closed for the winter at West Penn Sportsmen’s Club, but five stand is open Thursdays from 5-8 p.m. and...
Examining the ‘orange army’ and more outdoor news
Take a quick look around the outdoors world with a tip, a new piece of gear and more. Tip of the week It’s a simple thing that can make a big difference. If you’re hunting deer from the ground this season, standing at the base of a tree, take a...
A look inside our annual hunting gift guide
They were stumped. The first Christmas after my love of the outdoors took root, my nonsporting parents asked what I wanted under the tree. “Hunting and fishing stuff,” I said. That did nothing to clear things up for them. Maybe you’re in the same situation, unsure what to buy the...
Outdoors notices for Nov. 24, 2019
Outdoors Notices RIFLE LEAGUES • In the Allegheny Valley Rifle League on Nov. 15, Fort Hand (4-2) defeated Murrysville (0-6), 1,161-1,153, and Butler (4-2) beat Clymer (4-2), 1,165-1,154, in the A-team standings. In the B-team division, Fort Hand (1.5-4.5) beat Murrysville (0.5-5.5), 1,109-1,080, and Clymer (6-0) defeated Butler (4-2), 1,141-1,140....
Fly fishing in Japan proves familiar and rewarding
It was unusually spectacular in its familiarity. This was August, and lush seasonal streamside vegetation made casting a fly an occasional challenge. Low water flows and high humidity were constant ones. Still, Eric Hussar found himself working the usual summertime terrestrial patterns every trout fisherman knows — caddis flies, stoneflies...
Fishing report: Rainbow trout bite consistent at Indian Lake
• At Indian Lake, anglers are enjoying a consistent rainbow trout bite as a result of a recent stocking of the fish. According to reports, the most effective setup is flies and plastic worms. A number of catches measuring in at 16-plus inches were reported in recent days. • Twin...
Forget waiting for them, here’s how to successfully track deer
No one hunts whitetails from a tree stand in Randy Flannery’s world. Not if they hope to actually, you know, see deer. The country is just too big, too remote, too rugged, too vast. Owner of Wilderness Escape Outfitters and a state-certified master guide, he leases 400 square miles —...
Green Lick Lake walleyes struggling, but help coming
This is a story that reveals perspective. Those who are glass-half-full types will see it as evidence the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission’s walleye stocking program works. Those who fall on the glass-half-empty side of things will see this as a case of good intentions unfulfilled. Maybe it’s a story...
How to spot more deer and other outdoors notes
Take a quick look around the outdoors world with a tip, a new piece of gear and more: Tip of the week It takes more than just looking to see deer in the woods. Or more than just casual looking, anyway. Your best bet for spotting a whitetail is to...
Sunday hunting bill heads to Gov. Wolf’s desk
A bill that would allow hunting on up to three Sundays per year in Pennsylvania is headed to Gov. Tom Wolf’s desk. Senate Bill 147 would provide for hunting on three Sundays annually: one during rifle deer season, one during the statewide archery deer season and one determined by the...
Outdoors notices for Nov. 17, 2019
Outdoors Notices RIFLE LEAGUES • In the Allegheny Valley Rifle League on Nov. 8, Fort Hand (3-2) defeated Clymer (4-1), 1,163-1,162, and Butler (3-2) beat Murrysville (0-5), 1,168-1,122, in the A-team standings. In the B-team division, Butler (4-1) beat Murrysville (0.5-4.5), 1,142-1,080, and Clymer (5-0) defeated Fort Hand (0.5-4.5), 1,146-1,097....
Fishing report: Conemaugh River yielding plenty of large walleye
• The outflow at Conemaugh River Lake is providing anglers with some larger walleye catches of late. The walleye appear to be most interested in minnows and jigs, per reports. There were also a few crappie catches reported, with small jigs presenting a solid option. In recent weeks, bass and...
Boy catches 42-pound catfish in New Mexico
The fish was almost as big as the boy who caught it. Alex Flores, 9, hauled in a 42-pound blue catfish Sunday evening at the Elephant Butte Reservoir near Las Cruces, New Mexico. “I was pretty proud of him for being humble about the whole experience. He was excited,” Kris...
